The Seventh annual Georgia Symphony Orchestra 2014 Celebrity Luncheon on March 22 will feature 21 local celebrities. The event will be at Marietta Country Club from noon to 3 p.m. with keynote speaker William Fred Scott, former director of the Atlanta Opera and music educator. Photo illustration by Kathy Goldsberry

The stars are coming together for lunch on March 22 for the Seventh Annual Georgia Symphony Orchestra 2014 Celebrity Luncheon. The event will be at Marietta Country Club from noon to 3 p.m. with keynote speaker William Fred Scott, former director of the Atlanta Opera and music educator.

“The Celebrity Luncheon is a unique and exciting event. We bring together an interesting and diverse group of Southern notables for people to choose to dine with,” said east Cobb resident Eric Bowles, who chairs the event. Bowles works as a graphic and interior designer as well as event planner and personal shopper.

Patrons select one celebrity from a group of 21 local and metro-Atlanta leaders to join for lunch at their table along with other fun and entertaining people to get to know while learning about the celebrity of choice.

The event benefits the GSO, one of oldest arts groups in Cobb County.

“(The luncheon) helps support our many community focused programs and helps us fulfill our mission to make a quality live music experience accessible to people across the region. In addition to the orchestra, we also provide for the public’s educational enjoyment, the GSO Chorus, GSO Jazz! and GYSO (the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra) — which is one of the largest youth programs of its kind in the country,” Bowles said.

“Everyone who has ever attended this event has left with happy memories of an afternoon well spent, and most return in future years to relive the experience. For those that have never attended, now is a good time to make the GSO’s Celebrity lunch a new personal tradition,” Bowles said.

Reserve your seat online at GeorgiaSymphony.org or call (404) 500-9476. Marietta Country Club is at 1400 Marietta Country Club Drive, Kennesaw (near the intersection of Barrett Parkway and Stilesboro Road).

Luncheon and Silent Auction Celebrities

CLEMENS BAK – is an engineer for EIS who has a passion for the Arts. In 2007 Bak founded Gallery 4463 in Acworth with a group of 20 local artists. Last fall, he turned over the ownership and leadership of the Gallery and founded the Acworth Cultural Arts Center Inc., a non-profit dedicated to serving the advancement of Fine Arts in Acworth and beyond. The center offers 8 studios, classrooms and a fine arts print shop.

KATIE BEASLEY – is the “Good Day Atlanta” Transportation Reporter for FOX 5. Before joining FOX 5, Katie was co-anchor of News 12 “First at Five” in Augusta, Georgia. Katie has won three Georgia Association of Broadcasters Awards, one Georgia Associated Press Award and one Georgia Association of Broadcasters Merit Award.

SUSAN EASTON BURNS – is the artist who has been awarded the commission to paint the official Kentucky Derby Art for Churchill Downs, Inc. for 2014. Art teacher and industrial designer are a couple of Susan’s titles. She was born and went to school in upstate New York and now lives and paints on her farm in rural Georgia.

RON CARTER – is a sought- after theater organ concert and silent film accompanist throughout the southeast. He is the house organist for the Earl Smith Strand Theatre and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. He is the former President of the Atlanta Chapter of the Theatre Organ Society and is a retired Commander of the GBI.

DAVID DUBOSE – is currently serving the Marietta City Schools as the System Arts Director and the Manager of the new Marietta Performing Arts Center. He was recently named 2014 runner-up for “ Georgia Teacher of the Year”. He was named Marietta City Schools’ “Teacher of the Year” for 2012-13.

DALE ELLIS – is a National Basketball Association legend who began his NBA career in 1983 as the 9th pick overall. Dale was named NBA All-Star in 1989. He was the first player in the history of the NBA to score 1,000 3-pointers. He finished his 17 year NBA career scoring over 19,000 points and 1,700 - 3-pointers. Since retirement he has toured the Middle East, Germany and Italy in support of our troops.

DOUGLAS FREY – is the award-winning author of Marietta, the Gem City of Georgia: A Celebration of its Homes – A Portrait of its People. His book, which represents ten years of research, has received an international design award and earned second place in the history category of the prestigious IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards in 2012. Through his business, Metropolitan Restoration, he strives to ensure that old homes are sensitively restored for future generations.

JULIAN GRAY – is curator of the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville. Since joining the Tellus Museum in 2005, he has been involved in the exhibit design for the transition from the 9,000 sq. ft. Weinman Mineral Museum to the 120,000 sq. ft. Tellus Museum, which opened in 2009. He worked with NASA to get a permanent Lunar sample (Moon Rock) at Tellus.

LAURETTA HANNON – is the author of The Cracker Queen – A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life (Gotham Books, April 2009) and has been a commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered, where her stories have reached 25 million listeners. Lauretta also writes a syndicated advice column, Empathy – With an Edge, reaching 500,000 households. She is in demand as a keynote speaker, performer and writing seminar instructor.

REYNOLD JENNINGS – has served as president and CEO of WellStar Health System in Marietta since 2011. He is a former COO of Tenet Healthcare with 35 years experience in hospital management, managing more than 100 hospitals in 15 states. The Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals recently honored Jennings as their 2013”CEO of the Year”.

JOE KIRBY – has been the Editorial Page Editor of the Marietta Daily Journal since 1992 and has won the prestigious Freedom of Information Award and Public Service Award from the Associated Press (Georgia) and the Georgia Press Association numerous times, as well as winning awards for Best Columnist, Best Editorial, Best Editorial Pages and Best Feature. He is also the author and co-author of four books about Marietta.

CHRISTIANE LAUTERBACH – was born in Paris and spent her formative years there and in Germany and New York. Since 1983, Christiane has reviewed restaurants for Atlanta magazine. She is the publisher of Knife & Fork, the Insider’s Guide to Atlanta Restaurants. She is the author of the Atlanta Restaurant Guide.

HARRY LEMBECK – former attorney, is a historian, recognized for his knowledge of Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Era. The producers of the PBS documentary, Slavery by Another Name, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book of the same name, asked Harry to be a participating historian. He is currently writing a historical narrative about an incident involving Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

REV. DR. SAM MATTHEWS – is the Senior Minister of the First United Methodist Church of Marietta. He is a regular columnist for The Wesleyan Christian Advocate, the newspaper of Georgia Methodism. His thought-provoking messages have been enjoyed on Day1 radio. He also devotes time to working for the well being of disenfranchised children and youth.

VAN PEARLBERG – Senior Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia since March of 2013. He is also well-known as an author, lecturer, law professor and actor. Mr. Pearlberg entered the field of law in 1976 and served as Assistant D.A. for the Cobb Judicial Circuit (1990 to 1999); Senior Assistant D.A. for the Cobb Judicial Circuit (1999 to 2008); and as Deputy Chief Assistant D.A, for Cobb (2008-2013). He also served as the Ward 4 City Councilman, Marietta, GA (2006-2012).

KEVIN RATHBUN – is an award-winning Chef who opened his first restaurant, Rathbun’s, in Inman Park in 2004. In 2005, he opened two additional restaurants on the same street, Krog Bar and Kevin Rathbun Steak. In 2013, he opened KR SteakBar in Peachtree Hills in Buckhead. His namesake restaurant, Rathbun’s, was voted by Esquire Magazine as one of the “Top New Restaurants in the Country.”

DEREK SCHILLER – as Executive V.P. of Sales and Marketing for the Braves, Schiller leads the team’s baseball-related revenues such as corporate partnerships, ticket sales, broadcasting, licensing and merchandising as well as managing the overall marketing strategy and branding for the Braves. He was formerly the V.P of Sales and Marketing for the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team, and before that was V.P. of Business Development for the New York Yankees.

WILLIAM FRED SCOTT – was first introduced to Atlanta when Robert Shaw asked him to join The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as Associate Conductor. Following that tenure, Scott was named Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera, a post he held for twenty years, during which time, the opera company saw unprecedented growth. He is a sought-after lecturer, teacher and a welcome judge for the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council auditions. He is currently Director of Choral Music at The Westminster Schools.

DR. WANDA YANG TEMPO – is a renowned Soprano who made her international operatic debut in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote in Rome. As a recitalist she performs throughout the country. She has served as host of Afternoon Classics and Concert 90 on Atlanta NPR affiliate, WABE, 90.1 FM. She also wrote, produced and hosted a weekly show highlighting singers called The Art of Song.

LEE WALBURN – Rome News Tribune columnist, Walburn is the former editor-in-chief of Atlanta Magazine. Under his 15 year leadership, the magazine won more than 200 awards for excellence – 80 were national awards. He was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National City and Regional Magazine Association and is a member of the Georgia Magazine Association Hall of Fame. He is the author of “Just My Type … 50 Years Preserved in Ink.”

KATHY YOUNG – is the immediate past president of the 80 member Advisory Board for the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. She is currently chair of the capital campaign for the Children’s Garden to be on the campus of the State Botanical Garden in Athens. She has had leadership positions for 25 years in health care philanthropy in Dalton, Savannah and Marietta, concluding her career as administrator at First United Methodist Church in Marietta. Kathy has served as the chair or co-chair of numerous fundraising events and is a Trustee for Reinhardt University and a past Trustee for Young Harris College.

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